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In the central zone of Our Country, a rich harvest of summer and autumn mushrooms is not uncommon. They are especially valued by mushroom pickers for their high taste and pleasant aroma. Such a variety of mushrooms as shrinking honey agaric is widespread in coniferous and deciduous forests of middle regions. It is great for cooking various dishes and pickles, and is also famous for its healing properties and enjoys the great love of true gourmets.
Description of shrinking honey agaric
Shrinking honey agaric, or ringless, has an average size – up to 15 cm in height. Its white or milky-yellowish, sometimes brown flesh emits a pleasant, pronounced mushroom aroma. On the cut, its color does not change. The fungus belongs to the Physalacrye family, has a lamellar white hymenophore with a slightly pinkish tinge.
Cap Description
The maximum size of the cap is 10 cm. In young individuals, it is convex, but subsequently expands and takes on a flattened shape. In the center is a wide tubercle. The color of the cap is light brown, reddish, its surface is dry, covered with dark scales, which are characteristic of young mushrooms, and with age they gradually disappear.
Description of the leg
The height of the smooth leg of the shrinking honey agaric varies from 7 to 18 cm, in thickness – up to 1,5 cm. The color is uneven: closer to the hat it is white, with small dark patches, from below it is brown or brown. Inside, the fibrous leg is hollow, there is no ring, which is the reason for the second name – ringless honey agarics. The fruit bodies are fused together by the lower parts of the legs.
Where and how shrinking mushroom grows
Honey mushrooms that shrink in the middle and southern strip of Our Country are common, they are also found in the Crimea. They grow on rotting wood, stumps of coniferous and deciduous trees in large groups, forming characteristic intergrowths. A favorite place for these mushrooms is oak wood. They are harvested from June to late autumn. In the southern regions, they actively bear fruit until the very cold, that is, until December. The ringless fungus also grows in North America, Europe, Japan, China, as well as in northern African regions.
Edible ringless honey agaric or not
Shrinking mushrooms are classified as edible mushrooms with excellent taste and unique chemical composition. They are characterized by a strong mushroom aroma and pulp with an astringent, without the presence of bitterness, taste. For the preparation of mushrooms, special, complex heat treatment is not required. Before cooking, it is enough to clean the fruiting bodies and rinse thoroughly. Then they are fried, boiled, salted, marinated, cooked in soups and sauces.
How to cook shrinking mushrooms
A variety of dishes are prepared from drying mushrooms – tasty, very fragrant and healthy. It is necessary to process mushrooms immediately after they have been brought home from the forest. The maximum shelf life of mushroom raw materials in fresh form is 1 day. During the primary processing, they are cleaned, debris, rot and wormholes are removed. Rinse thoroughly under running water. The fruiting bodies of the shrinking variety prepared in this way can be boiled, fried, pickled, salted, and made into sauces.
How to pickle drying mushrooms
Pickled mushrooms are traditionally the most favorite dish of many housewives. To prepare drying mushrooms in this way, you will need:
- 700 g mushrooms;
- 1 Art. water;
- 30 ml of vegetable oil;
- 1,5 tbsp. l. vinegar;
- 1 tbsp. l. salt and sugar;
- spices – 2 pcs. bay leaf, cloves, black peppercorns and garlic cloves.
Algorithm cooking:
- Fruit bodies are boiled in salted water for 20 minutes.
- Drain in a colander and let the liquid drain.
- In a saucepan, boil the marinade from the above ingredients, except for vinegar and oil, for 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, boil for 10-15 minutes. and pour in the vinegar.
- Lay out in sterilized jars, add oil on top and cork with lids.
How to salt ringless mushrooms for the winter
Crispy, moderately salty drying mushrooms perfectly diversify the table in the winter. To prepare them you will need:
- 1 kg of copper;
- 50 g of vegetable oil;
- 2 heads of onions;
- 50 g salt;
- dill umbrellas.
Algorithm cooking:
- Fruiting bodies are boiled for 30 minutes. in salted water.
- The broth is drained.
- Mushrooms are put in layers in an enamel pan, sprinkling each with salt and onion rings.
- Add 50 ml of boiled cold water, cover with a plate and set the oppression with a load.
- The pan is put in a cool place, you can in the refrigerator for 30 days.
- Salted fruit bodies are transferred to glass jars and covered with plastic lids.
How to dry shrinking mushrooms for the winter
Dry-shrinking mushroom is perfectly stored all winter and serves as the basis for the preparation of many dishes. It is this method of processing that allows you to save the maximum amount of useful trace elements in mushrooms.
Drying is carried out:
- on air;
- in the oven;
- in an electric dryer.
Before drying, the fruiting bodies are cleaned, large specimens are cut. They are strung on a thread and hung in a well-ventilated, sunny place for 30-40 days. In the oven, the drying process takes about 5 hours at a temperature of 60 ° C, during which the mushrooms are periodically turned over. For 3 – 4 hours, ringless mushrooms are dried in an electric dryer at a temperature of 50 ° C. After that, they are left with the device turned off for another 3 hours. Properly prepared for storage fruiting bodies are springy, non-brittle. Overdried – crumble when pressed.
The benefits and harms of shrinking mushrooms
Due to its unique composition, drying mushrooms have healing properties. The amount of amino acids useful for the human body, biologically active substances and polysaccharides contained in these mushrooms can hardly be overestimated.
Their use in food stimulates:
- the work of the digestive tract;
- excretion of bile;
- lowering blood pressure;
- immunity strengthening.
The use of drying mushrooms allows you to eliminate heart palpitations, various inflammations and pain. Clinical studies have confirmed that the product stimulates the human body to fight sarcoma, reduces radiation levels and removes toxins.
However, in some cases, harm is possible under certain conditions:
- exacerbation of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- pregnancy and lactation.
Twins and their differences
Most drying mushrooms are similar to mushrooms of the genus Galerin, of which there are edible and poisonous representatives. Among them:
- autumn honey agaric differs from shrinking by the presence of a ring on the leg and white, beige plates. It grows only in deciduous forests. Refers to edible varieties.
- Bordered Galerina has rusty spores, a brown cap and a membranous ring on the stem. A favorite place to grow are rotting coniferous trees. Poison mushroom.
- Sulfur yellow honey agaric has a yellow or brown cap, darker in color in the center than at the edges. It prefers deciduous forests, but is also found in coniferous forests, although much less frequently. Poison mushroom.
It is quite difficult to distinguish between shrinking honey agaric and yellow mushroom, which prefers fir forests, and also settles under spruce and birch trees. However, the latter has a funnel-shaped hat, which is very large – up to 25 cm in diameter. Its surface is slippery, while in the ringless representative of the open-shaped it is dry. The leg of the mushroom is covered with yellow dents. When cut, the flesh darkens and releases a lot of milky juice.
Conclusion
Shrinking honey agaric is a mushroom unique in its properties and taste, which should not be bypassed during the “silent hunt”. Healthy dishes from this product will greatly diversify the winter table, besides, they will be indispensable for vegetarians. A bonus to this is the therapeutic effect that the honey agaric shrinking on the human body will have.
